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Apply for OCEAN Grants Programme

Deadline: 18-Mar-2024

The Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (OCEAN) is seeking applications for projects that aim to deliver lasting change to the marine environment and for coastal communities.

The Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (OCEAN) Grants Programme is part of the Blue Planet Fund (BPF) – the UK’s £500 million initiative supporting developing countries in protecting the ocean and reducing poverty. BPF is jointly managed by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

By supporting both large and small organisations working towards ocean-based solutions to climate change, OCEAN aims to build resilience for coastal people and communities most acutely affected by declining ocean health and climate change.

Types of Grants
  • Community Grants of a maximum allocation of £250,000 will be available for small-scale, local, in-country organisations. These grants must focus on increasing the capacity of local communities to tackle marine and poverty issues, by delivering local solutions to local problems.
  • Partnership Grants of between £250,000 to £3 million will be available for medium to large organisations with the capacity to deliver solutions at scale. These grants must focus on partnering with and working alongside the local communities, to deliver local solutions to local problems, while addressing the potential to scale.
Duration
  • Community Grants
    • Minimum: One Year; Maximum: up until 31 March 2029.
  • Partnership Grants
    • Minimum: One Year; Maximum: up until 31 March 2029.
Intended Impact of OCEAN
  • Example areas that successful projects might address: 
    • Communities have increased willingness and capacity to access funding so that they are able to establish and sustainably, effectively, and inclusively implement and manage marine protected areas and other effective conservation measures.
    • Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities are more effectively monitored, prevented and prohibited with the communities previously dependent on these practices supported through alternative, stable, sustainable livelihoods.
    • Management of regional and national fisheries and aquaculture is strengthened to deliver sustainable fish stocks and healthy marine ecosystems, provide inclusive livelihoods, and reduce overfishing.
    • Communities have increased capacity to manage marine pollution, targeting pathways from land to sea to prevent it entering the marine environment.
  • Examples of types of activities projects might include:
    • Training artisanal fishers in Illegal Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing data collection to develop community-led networks to report IUU fishing.
    • Capacity building projects to train in-country experts to carry out fishery assessments and develop improvements based on data.
    • Community training workshops in sustainable marine management practices to increase productivity and yields of ecosystems.
    • Establishing no-take zones and creating biodiversity monitoring programmes.
    • Establishing and training staff in environmental management and information systems.
    • Establishing waste collection, sorting, and disposal systems in local communities.
    • Supporting women, youth, and disabled people to develop income generation and livelihood development in integrated waste management.
Types of Project
  • Community Grant
    • Must support a reduction in multi-dimensional poverty.
    • Must focus on marine environment. This could directly relate to one of the Blue Planet Fund’s seven key outcomes, but this is not a requirement.
    • The annual value must not exceed 50% of the Lead Organisation’s annual income.
    • Should focus on developing new ideas, providing local solutions to local problems, stimulating capacity building, and strengthening ownership and community empowerment.
    • Must demonstrate good understanding of the context in which it will take place.
  • Partnership Grants
    • Must support a reduction in multi-dimensional poverty.
    • Must focus on marine environment. This could directly relate to one of the Blue Planet Fund’s seven key outcomes, but this is not a requirement.
    • The annual value must not exceed 50% of the Lead Organisation’s annual income.
    • Should focus on developing new ideas, providing local solutions to local problems, stimulating capacity building, and strengthening ownership and community empowerment.
    • Must demonstrate good understanding of the context in which it will take place.
    • Must effectively engage with and work alongside the local communities it is seeking to support.
    • Must have the potential to scale, with networks in place to deliver long-term outcomes to the marine environment, and local organisations/communities.
Eligibility Criteria
  • Community Grants
    • Lead Organisation
      • Must be a small to medium sized local, regional, or national organisation based in the same country as the project.
      • Must have an annual income of less than £1 million.
      • Must be able to demonstrate it is a non-profit organisation.
    • Partner Organisation(s)
      • The Lead Organisation may partner with one or more nonprofit organisations. Partnerships are encouraged but not mandatory.
      • The Partner Organisation can also be a private sector organisation, a business, or a business association.
      • Government agencies and inter-governmental organisations can be Partner Organisations but may not receive funding.
    • Consultation with British embassies/high commissions
      • Lead Organisations are encouraged to contact their nearest regional Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to discuss their project proposal.
  • Partnership Grants
    • Lead Organisation
      • Must be a large established organisation.
      • Must have an annual income of more than £1 million.
      • Must work with small and other established organisations to develop local, regional, national, and/or international partnerships.
      • Must be able to demonstrate it is a non-profit organisation, it is experienced in the kind of work proposed, and it is staffed with the appropriate technical and financial capacity and expertise to manage and implement projects successfully and deliver reporting.
    • Partner Organisation(s)
      • The Lead Organisation must partner with at least one non-profit Partner Organisation that is based in the same country as the project. If the project is working across multiple countries, a Partner Organisation based in each project country is required.
      • The Partner Organisation can also be a private sector organisation, a business, or a business association.
      • Government agencies and intergovernmental organisations can be Partner Organisations but may not receive funding.
    • Consultation with British embassies/high commissions
      • Lead Organisations are required to contact their nearest regional Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to discuss their project proposal.
Deadlines
  • Community Grants: 18 March 2024
  • Partnership Grants: 2 April 2024

For more information, visit OCEAN.

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